IF you are about to embark on a quick fix diet, stop right there.

Did you know that 90 per cent of people who lose weight on diets regain the weight, according to some studies?

Nutritional therapist Alice Hardaker, who sees clients from all over Essex, has a better, more achievable way of helping people regain their health and lose weight by changing what they eat.

Alice does not promote a restrictive diet, and just one look at her blog and her website shows that she is a foodie and celebrates eating and enjoying good food.

She says: “This time of year there are so many diets around that are really too difficult to sustain for most people.

“The rate of regaining the weight on a strict diet is very high which means that people are essentially setting themselves up to fail. It is more sustainable to make change the way you eat forever.”

Alice runs East Bay Health and describes herself as a ‘health detective’ when it comes to finding out what people are eating and why it’s effecting their health.

“It’s about digging deep to work out why you’re not functioning at your absolute best, targeting your body’s nutrient needs and uncovering links between current symptoms, long-term health history, genetic predispositions, lifestyle and diet.”

She works with people with a variety of ailments such as problems with skin health, digestive concerns, autoimmunity, fertility, stress, fatigue, insomnia, menopause and pain management.

“For some people they might have several issues such as chronic fatigue, diabetes and insomnia. It is about tweaking their diet to improve their health and usually weight loss comes with that.

“My work as a nutritional therapist does not replace a GP, I always encourage clients to see their GP with a health complaint and the nutritional therapy can work alongside.”

So what does Alice recommend people eat for optimum health?

“It is all about getting the balance of vitamins and minerals which are necessary for life. Magnesium is found in unprocessed food, lentils, nuts and dark veg. Studies suggest that vitamin D has been shown to be eight times more effective than flu vaccines in preventing illness.

“To get these vitamins and minerals it is important to eat fruits and vegetables.

“I recommend seven a day, two fruit and five veg washed thoroughly before use to get rid of pesticides.

“Also quality carbs, healthy fats such as olive oil and oily fish and lots of water.”

And what should we avoid?

“Trans fats, they do nothing for the body, and reheated fat such as with a deep fat fryer ,and not too much animal fat.

“Sugar is hard for us all to give up but it is bad for our health and contributes to ageing.”

Alice says once the diet is sorted out and health problems go the weight loss also happens.

“I have seen with clients that once the way they eat has changed then the body rebalances itself and they naturally lose weight, and keep it off.”

Sometimes people get additional positive results they didn’t expect.

“People might not come to me with a sleep problem but they almost always see their sleep improve as a result.”

Alice finds that telling people what to eat can be tricky and it takes a soft approach.

“Food is not just eating, it is personal to people and no one likes being told what they are eating is wrong.

“You have to be sensitive to people and unpick any habits

of good and bad foods and diets.

“I don’t want people to feel under attack, I want to gain their trust and see it from their perspective and support them.

“They need to believe they can do it and make changes.”

Once Alice has shown her clients what changes to make and how she says it is all about moving forward and learning to love food and eating.

She says:”I wouldn’t be doing my job right if I had people returning to me again and again.

“Once I have worked with a client my aim is always to give them the support they need to then go on and be confident and feel great about the food they eat.”

For more information visit www.eastbayhealth.co.uk.

ALICE’s ADVICE

MENOPAUSE

Fish oil containing plenty of EPA and DHA may help with some menopausal symptoms like hot flushes. You often get more for your money in the liquid form instead of the capsules, but if you can’t stomach fish oil, try flax seeds or flax seed oil

SLEEP

Magnesium is good at aiding a restful sleep because it calms the nervous system, regulates stress hormones and helps muscles relax.

AGING

Avoid sugar and dehydrating drinks like coffee and alcohol and drink lots of water. Also, I don’t mean to repeat myself, but eat your seven a day!

INTERESTING FACT:

People who live in ‘blue zones’ in the world are most likely to reach 100. These areas include Ikaria, Greece; Okinawa, Japan; Ogliastra Region, Sardinia; Loma Linda, Calif, and Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica. What all the places eating habits share in common is they stop eating when their stomach is 80 percent full, eat the smallest meal of the day in the late afternoon or evening, eat mostly plants, especially beans. And eat meat rarely, in small portions and drink alcohol in moderation.